The Blog of a guilt-free Foodie…

Posts Tagged ‘Italy’

Since I can remember, Tiramisu has always been my all-time favourite dessert (apart from Ice cream, but that’s a whole other story!). I would order it whenever I was at a coffee shop with my Mum, I would beg for it to be made when there was a big occasion, and I would prepare it myself to impress my sweetheart…But since going Vegan I have hesitated to attempt making this wonderful dessert, as I just had a feeling it would never compare to the real deal. Well, I was wrong – this Tiramisu was everything I was hoping for, and it brought me back to the days when I used to eat trays of this stuff! It is based on the one from The Urban Vegan: 250 Simple, Sumptuous Recipes from Street Cart Favorites to Haute Cuisine– I just used another recipe for the sponge cake, as I wanted a Wheat-free version, but once it’s soaked in all that Coffee & Rum you can’t even tell. The overall texture is perfect, the only change I have made is to add more alcohol – it just wasn’t as boozy as I like mine to be! This is pure indulgence…

1 cup of Soya Too Soy Whip (or any other dairy-free whipping cream you like to use)

1 container Vegan Cream Cheese (80z) – I use Tofutti

5 Tblsp. Brandy, Rum, or Kahlua

1/2 cup Sugar OR 1/2 tsp. Stevia

1 cup freshly brewed Espresso/strong Coffee

2 Tblsp. good Cocoa powder

Method:

– Whip up Cream according to package directions.

– In a large bowl or food proccessor, whip together Cream Cheese, 1 1/2 Tblsp. Liquor, and Sugar/Stevia until smooth. Fold in Cream.

– Have ready a glass rectangular dish. Mix remaining 3 1/2 Tblsp. Liquor with Coffee. Dip each cake ‘finger’ into the coffee mixture – should be soaked, but not dripping. Lay each piece into the dish, covering the the bottom.

– Using a spatula, cover the Sponge with the Cream filling, and smooth out. Sift the top with Cocoa Powder and allow to set in the fridge for atleast 6 hours, or overnight, before serving.

Store-bought Pesto almost always contains Parmesan Cheese, so I resort to making my own – luckily, it’s extremely easy to make! You do, however, need a small food processor as a blender doesn’t work very well (unless you have a really snazzy one…), and a good quality Olive Oil helps too. For this pasta dish I mixed my Pesto with some Silken Tofu for a Cream Cheese-y affect, but you can also just keep as is. It’s so tasty you won’t miss the Parmesan, I promise! Add whatever vegetables you like to this, but I think Olives, Sun-dried Tomatoes & Artichokes make a great addition to any Italian meal…This is simple, delicious & easy to make, and if you already have the Pesto pre-made you can whip this up in less than 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

3-4 generous Tblsp. Creamy Pesto (recipe to follow)

1 pkt. fusilli Brown Rice Pasta (or any other pasta you prefer)

1/2 Red Onion, sliced

1 clove Garlic, minced

2 Portobello Mushrooms, chopped

1/2 Zucchini, julienned into long, thin strips and halved

1/2 Red Bellpepper, thinly sliced

a few re-hydrated Sun-dried Tomatoes, sliced

handful of Kalamata Olives, halved

3 Tblsp. chopped Artichokes, from jar in Olive Oil

1 Tblsp. Parsley

Method:

– Boil the Pasta according to packet instructions until Al dente. Drain, rinse and drizzle with a little bit of Olive Oil to prevent sticking.

When I found these little babies at an Organic Shop out of town, I knew they would be wasted if they were mixed with anything else – so I decided to make the perfect Tomato Salad to showcase their sweetness. According to Jamie Oliver, for sweet Cherry Tomatoes you need to put them in a colander after cutting, sprinkle with a bit of Salt and leave them to drain. The Salt draws out the excess moisture and drains off – apparently this method brings out their flavour…It seems to have worked, because these Tomatoes tasted like heaven!